A scheduled talk Tuesday evening by an advocate for concealed carry on campus was moved to an off-campus bookstore because of the shooting incident at the Perry-Castañeda Library and the lockdown that followed.
John Lott, an economist at the University of Maryland at College Park, wrote a book titled “More Guns, Less Crime,” which urges states to pass laws that allow law-abiding citizens with concealed carry permits to posses firearms in all public areas, including on college campuses.
The lecture was moved to Brave New Books, a self-proclaimed libertarian bookstore on Guadalupe Street. The talk was sponsored by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, the Libertarian Longhorns and the Objectivism Society. The UT chapter of the Federalist Society, which originally invited Lott, rescinded its support of the event after the shooting, while the national chapter maintained support for the talk.
Jeff Shi, president of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, said the shooting prompted the Libertarian Longhorns to approach the bookstore to host the event.
Lott said concealed handguns would have benefited students during Tuesday’s shooting on campus because those with a concealed weapon would be able to defend themselves from gunfire.
“Criminals are going to be the only ones with access to weapons,” he said. “This puts them at a huge advantage. It is only the law-abiding citizens that turn in their guns.”
Read the full story at the Daily Texan.
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.